WMX

DARWIN (Australia) 28th July 2026 – A mix of Aussie and international stars are preparing to take on the world’s best at the MXGP of Australia presented by Sitzler in Darwin from September 18-20.

Four Australians, Japan’s Souya Nakajima and British-born New Zealander Dylan Walsh will compete as wildcards in the top-flight MXGP class at the final round of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship in the Top End, all eager to make their mark on the demanding Hidden Valley track.

The wildcards are as follows:

•    Jacob Sweet, Vic KTM

•    Cooper Holroyd, NSW, Honda

•    Ryley Fitzpatrick, Qld, KTM

•    Souya Nakajima, Japan, Yamaha

•    Rhys Budd, Qld, Honda

•    Dylan Walsh, Vic KTM

All six MXGP wildcards are drawn from the 2026 Penrite ProMX Championship presented by AMX Superstores (ProMX), with Walsh and two-time Japanese 250cc champion Nakajima competing in the MX2 class and the balance in MX1.

Walsh, whose extensive international experience also includes appearances in the FIM Motocross World Championship and FIM Motocross of Nations, is equal third in the MX2 class ahead of the ProMX grand finale in Queensland on August 1-2.

Meanwhile, recent injuries have put dents in the MX1 campaigns of Sweet and Holroyd – who were both MXGP wildcards in Darwin last year – but Budd and Fitzpatrick have been piling on the pressure to the distributor-backed riders.

Budd, in particular, has turned heads with a successful mid-season switch from MX2 to MX1, and is an impressive 10th in the standings after a brace of solid performances.

Tourism and Events NT CEO, Suzana Bishop: “The MXGP of Australia continues to deliver world‑class racing and the uniquely Territory atmosphere fans love. The return of our wildcard riders and the MA Motocross State Challenge showcases the strength of Australian talent and the pathways we’re building for emerging riders. We’re proud to once again be hosting the final round of the World Championship right here in Darwin and can’t wait to see Hidden Valley come alive in September.”

Six rounds remain in the 2026 MXGP world title, with Honda HRC Petronas’ Jeffrey Herlings the current leader after recent injury woes for Belgian firebrand Red Bull KTM Factory’s Lucas Coenen has seen him come back to the pack. Defending champion Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre also remains in contention, with Darwin again set to host an epic championship-deciding finale.

MX2 Start Darwin 2025 

In MX2, five local wildcards will compete in the hotly contested class. With the MX2 world championship set for a blockbuster finale at Hidden Valley, the Australian charge will be led by KTM star Byron Dennis who is currently running third in the MX2 class of the ProMX Championship.

Dennis was a MX2 wildcard at the 2025 MXGP of Australia, finishing just outside the top 10 in both races. Deacon Paice (KTM) also joined Dennis in Darwin last year, and he too will return to the Top End in 2026.

WMX Start Darwin 2025

It’ll again be Australia versus the star-studded internationals at the final round of the 2026 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship in Darwin.

Nine Australian wildcards will compete in the MXGP of Australia presented by Sitzler, and in addition, American hard-charger Lachlan Turner, who currently leads the ProMX title after a flawless season, will be making her first appearance in Darwin.

For more information on the MXGP of Australia, including the three-day program and ticketing options, visit mxgpaustralia.com.au.

Related: Dennis to lead MX2 wildcard charge at 2026 MXGP of Australia
Related: Aussie women taking on the world in 2026 MXGP of Australia
Related: MA Motocross State Challenge returning to MXGP of Australia in 2026
Related: 2026 MXGP of Australia to unleash three massive days of racing

2026 MXGP OF AUSTRALIA WILDCARDS

MXGP

•    Jacob Sweet, Vic, KTM

•    Cooper Holroyd, NSW, Honda

•    Ryley Fitzpatrick, Qld, KTM

•    Souya Nakajima, Japan, Yamaha

•    Rhys Budd, Qld, Honda

•    Dylan Walsh, Vic, KTM

MX2

•    Deacon Paice, WA, KTM

•    Byron Dennis, NSW, KTM

•    Riley Burgess, NSW, KTM

•    Thomas O’Neill, Qld, Yamaha

•    Jet Alsop, Qld, Honda

WMX

•    Madi Simpson, Qld, Yamaha

•    Lachlan Turner, USA, Yamaha

•    Sienna Giudice, NSW, KTM

•    Felicity Shrimpton, Qld, Yamaha

•    Darci Whalley, Qld, Honda

•    Leah Rimbas, WA, KTM

•    Makayla Rimbas, WA, Honda

•    Samantha Macarthur, NSW, Husqvarna

•    Emma Milesevic, Vic, Yamaha

•    Stephanie Turnbull, Qld, GASGAS

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MXGP Australia

FOXHILLS (Great Britain), 19th July 2026 — During the Monster Energy MXGP of Great Britain, the third round of the 2026 FIM Women's Racecross World Championship at Foxhills belonged entirely to GASGAS's Kiara Fontanesi, who took the holeshot and led every lap of both races to complete a dominant 1-1. RFME Spain National Team's Daniela Guillen fought back after a subdued Race 1 to finish second in Race 2, but the third place she took in the opener meant she left Great Britain two points behind Fontanesi at the top of the standings. Dixon Racing Team Kawasaki's Courtney Duncan was the model of consistency, taking second in Race 1 and third in Race 2 to complete the overall podium. It was the 25th overall victory of Fontanesi's career, her 55th race win and 130th podium.

Head Photo Kiara Fontanesi; Top Photo: WMX Start Foxhills 2026

Fontanesi grabbed the holeshot from pole position and set about controlling the race from the front. Daniela Guillen slotted into second early on, while home favourite Lucy Barker delighted the Foxhills crowd with a strong start to run third, ahead of Courtney Duncan in fourth and reigning champion Lotte Van Drunen in fifth.

Barker's promising start didn't last long. By the end of lap two she had been swallowed up by Duncan, Van Drunen and Shana Van Der Vlist, who claimed third, fourth and fifth respectively as the Brit slipped back to seventh inside a single lap.

Further back, Malou Jakobsen and Amandine Verstappen worked their way into the top seven by lap three, while JK Racing Yamaha's Nellie Fransson, who had rocketed into the top six at the start, began to lose touch with the pack ahead.

At the front, Guillen had briefly looked comfortable in second, but Duncan continued to reel her in and finally made the move stick on lap six, holding the position through to the chequered flag. Guillen, so untouchable in Germany, could not respond and had to settle for third in a far closer podium fight than her form suggested coming into the weekend, probably due to fell under the weather as she mentioned on Saturday pre-grid interview.

Fontanesi, though, was pushed all the way to the line by Duncan and set the fastest lap of the race on the final tour to seal the win by just over a second. Van Drunen brought it home safely in fourth, always in touch with the podium battle but unable to find a way past, while Van der Vlist enjoyed a strong ride from seventh at the start to fifth at the flag, edging out Jakobsen and Verstappen in sixth and seventh.

April Franzoni recovered from a difficult start to work her way up to eighth, while Barker's tough afternoon continued as she slipped to ninth by the finish. Alexandra Massury was a consistent tenth. Fransson's promising start unravelled completely, the Swede eventually finishing a lap down in twelfth.

Fontanesi made it two-from-two off the start, taking the holeshot for the second time in the day as Barker again slotted into second right behind her. Duncan made a clean launch to sit third, while Guillen, below her best in Race 1, sliced through the opening corners to jump into fourth ahead of Van der Vlist. Van Drunen, by contrast, was buried around 20th after a poor start.

Guillen wasted no time going to work. She picked off Duncan on the inside at the foot of the hill during lap two, then eased past Barker, who left the door open just a fraction too wide in front of the Skybox,  to move into second. From there Guillen set about hunting down Fontanesi, reeling off the fastest lap of the race, a 2:04.383, but the gap never came down below six or seven seconds.

Behind her, Duncan settled into third and gradually pulled clear of Barker as the race wore on. Malou Jakobsen ran a lonely but unshakeable sixth all race, a position van Drunen, recovering fast after her poor start, could not get near even after climbing all the way up to seventh at the midpoint.

At the front, Fontanesi was untroubled to the flag, crossing the line just over nine seconds clear of Guillen to complete a perfect weekend. Duncan held on for third, with Barker fourth and Van der Vlist fifth, while Van Drunen's fighting ride was rewarded with seventh ahead of Amandine Verstappen and Danee Gelissen.

The result sends Fontanesi to the Netherlands as championship leader for the first time this season, two points clear of Guillen with Duncan a further 39 points back in third. Guillen will look to respond at the next round, while Barker's home heroics will give the British crowd plenty to build on after bouncing back from a difficult ninth in Race 1 to finish fourth in Race 2, good enough for sixth overall on the day, arguably her best result of the season in front of her home crowd.

Kiara Fontanesi: "It's a big, big achievement. I don't think I could ever have imagined being a mum of two and leading the world championship at 32 years old, I still can't quite realise it. In the first race, the championship is so tight that I couldn't ride free; I was scared of crashing more than of being passed, so it was a stressful race. But in the second race I got a really good start, felt amazing on the track and didn't even get tired, those are the races I love!"

Daniela Guillen: "I've lost the red plate, but I'm still very much in this championship fight. Today I had a much better feeling than yesterday, I wasn't at my best before the second race, but I'm happy with how I recovered. Thank you to the team and to everyone who has helped me."

Courtney Duncan: "It's good, it's really good. It's funny, when you get back to that level, you're almost disappointed you didn't finish further up! But I'm stoked to be back on the box, it's been a long time. I think we can be proud of the improvements we've made in six weeks. I'm still not quite back to where I need to be, but we're well and truly on the way. A huge thanks to everyone who's helped me get here, all the people back home, my medical team, the specialists and surgeons who got my health back on track, and to Monster Energy, Fox for making this season possible."

    
1. Daniela Guillen; 2. Courtney Duncan

WMX – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GASGAS), 26:08.278; 2. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), +0:01.113; 3. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GASGAS), +0:11.694; 4. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, Yamaha), +0:16.593; 5. Shana Van Der Vlist (NED, Yamaha), +1:04.890; 6. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), +1:08.856; 7. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:23.486; 8. April Franzoni (FRA, Honda), +1:38.738; 9. Lucy Barker (GBR, KTM), +1:40.500; 10. Alexandra Massury (GER, KTM), +2:02.102. Fastest lap: Kiara Fontanesi – 2:10.314 (lap 11)

WMX – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GASGAS), 24:56.427; 2. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GASGAS), +0:09.105; 3. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), +0:18.618; 4. Lucy Barker (GBR, KTM), +0:38.860; 5. Shana Van Der Vlist (NED, Yamaha), +0:45.319; 6. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), +0:47.422; 7. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, Yamaha), +0:49.203; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:01.627; 9. Danee Gelissen (NED, Husqvarna), +1:02.370; 10. April Franzoni (FRA, Honda), +1:06.465. Fastest lap: Daniela Guillen – 2:04.383 (lap 3)

WMX Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 50 points; 2. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 42 p.; 3. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 42 p.; 4. Shana Van Der Vlist (NED, YAM), 32 p.; 5. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, YAM), 32 p.; 6. Lucy Barker (GBR, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), 30 p.; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 27 p.; 9. April Franzoni (FRA, HON), 24 p.; 10. Danee Gelissen (NED, HUS), 22 p.

WMX World Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 141 points; 2. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 139 p.; 3. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 100 p.; 4. Shana Van Der Vlist (NED, YAM), 89 p.; 5. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), 88 p.; 6. Lucy Barker (GBR, KTM), 87 p.; 7. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, YAM), 85 p.; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 84 p.; 9. April Franzoni (FRA, HON), 73 p.; 10. Lynn Valk (NED, TM), 57 p.

WMX Manufacturers – Top 10 Classification: 1. GASGAS, 150 points; 2. Yamaha, 107 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 100 p.; 4. KTM, 97 p.; 5. Honda, 88 p.; 6. TM Moto, 57 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 48 p.; 8. Triumph, 26 p.

WMX Podium Great Britain 2026 

MONSTER ENERGY MXGP OF GREAT BRITAIN – FOXHILLS QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1793m

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 24˚

Weather conditions: Sunny

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM